April 21, 2015

Studio KMO

Like anything in life, good things are created with hard work, dedication, and love. Today we have the pleasure of featuring Studio KMO, a true master of hard work, dedication, and most importantly, patience. Karen will be bringing your papercutting skills to our Austin Fair at Fair Market on May 16+17.

Studio KMO is the studio artwork of papercutting artist, Karen M. O’Leary. Her modern maps are handcrafted and created with just an x-acto blade and watercolor paper in her Charlotte, North Carolina studio. The first mapcut (a hand cut modern map) was created as part of Karen’s 5th year architecture thesis. Karen’s mapcut was more than just an average map – it was a beautiful, non-typical map, layered with more information than any other. Since then, she quietly worked on these beauties for her own enjoyment.

In October of 2009, Karen listed her NYC mapcut on Etsy, in hopes of earning a few dollars. The images of the delicate streets of New York quickly circulated throughout the online design community and a business was unintentionally created.

Karen’s modern maps are more than a navigational tool, they are collected and treasured by many for the memories and stories they tell. These maps are truly a sight for sore eyes and the immaculate detail within them is a reflection of painstaking work and Karen’s passion for beauty in the smallest things.Karen’s maps are often collected as reminders of where we have been and where we aspire to go. And rightly so, they become heirlooms.

We can’t wait to set our sights on Studio KMO’s maps in person at our Austin Fair. All you Austin locals out there, be sure to stop by and view your city through Karen’s hard work. Check out some of the city mapcuts she’s created on her Etsy shop, and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.